The Princess and the Bloodstone

Dumbledore's Secrets

They'd agreed that she should wear the cloak and walk behind him. And so, Severus forged a path through a deep snowbank blocking their way up to the castle by melting through it with a heated shield charm. He was trying his level best to gain a few seconds on the way to the headmaster's office, but the snowy path was treacherous and they were forced to occasionally bump into one another through an odd dip, sudden rise, or tree root. Severus looked over his shoulder periodically, relieved that the gale erased any evidence of the double set of tracks they were leaving.

He was frantically thinking of excuses to give Dumbledore for being late. And for being in such a state.

I caught in the storm. I was caught in the storm and just didn't look at the time.

They were half-frozen from the rather journey up the slippery hillside by the time the courtyard walls came into view. The snow had turned a cobalt blue in the deepening night. In the shelter of the long entrance tunnel leading to the courtyard, Holly grabbed his hand and forced him to turn toward her. Her head popped out of the invisibility cloak, floating close to him. Her face was pink from the cold.

'When can I see you again?'

Severus glanced to the sides in search of prying eyes. But only gargoyles stood witness.

'Surely you can survive my absence for a few hours,' he said coolly, playing for the time he needed to create the artefact for her. It was essential he start crafting this very evening.

'Then I might visit tomorrow,' she stood on her toes to kiss him quickly. Their heads collided painfully and he chuckled, despite his wet clothes and frozen nose.

'Alright then,' he said. And when she seemed surprised, he clarified, '-for a birth control potion.'

'For the last time... or next time?' She asked innocently.

'The last time.'

Severus pulled her hand to his lips and slipped one glove off in the process. He delighted in her bashful reaction to this unexpected touch. He brushed his lips over her cold skin and scars, studying her face as he did so. She seemed to bloom under his touch. A small hand came to rest on his chest.

He kissed her palm before pressing a vial of Dreamless Sleep inside it and dropping her hand again. For a second, she seemed stunned but gathered herself quickly, and, floating closer she pressed her cold lips to his in a desperate kiss that hinted at the wanton desire he knew was pooling between her legs.

Unable to help himself, Severus reached into her cloak to pull her against his body, rubbing circles across her lower back and buttocks. She was warm and soft, starkly contrasted with the biting weather. He deepened their kiss and Holly moaned softly into his mouth. For a short moment, they were melted together in the shadows of the cold tunnel.

'Tomorrow then,' he stated, pulling away from her magnetic heat with all the strength he had.

'I guess...' Holly mumbled.

'We have to go. Now.' He turned in a flurry of robes as he suddenly feared he would give into the temptation to take her right there against the wall.

Another few hundred stairs later, the Potions Master swept up the final spiral staircase to the headmaster's office. It was five minutes past seven. At the top, he stopped to catch his breath and dried his wet cloak, shoes and socks with a spell. He then rapped on the wood, waiting to be granted entry. Severus rubbed his hands together to warm them up, wanting to hide the fact that he had very recently trudged up to the castle through the snowstorm.

No sound came from within.

He put his ear to the door before trying the handle - surprised to find the door opening at his touch. The office was dark and silent. He stood frozen in the doorway, watching for movement.